If Robin Were Here
by jouissance
Summary: One shots of season 6 as if Robin hadn't been obliterated and all that nastiness. Because OutlawQueen deserves to live on.
1. Another Way

**FraiseDandelion made me do it. Not really. I was already doing it, but she definitely encouraged it.**

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 _ **The Evil Queen flirting with Robin...**_

She'd gone off on her own. Again. And the Charmings had let her. Again. At least Henry had the forethought to text him that his mother was meeting a sword wielding, revenge driven refugee in the middle of the forest without any backup. He'd searched the dirigible and the surrounding forest and was trying to decide if he was frightened or relieved that she was nowhere to be found when he is suddenly face to face with a very different _her_.

"Well well, look what Regina's gotten herself into. Or rather, what you've gotten into her I would suspect." The Evil Queen runs a jeweled fingernail along Robin's jaw, down his neck, swirling down his chest and stopping right over his heart. "Care to share?" She walks a tight circle around him, nails coasting over his body as she goes.

"Not interested," Robin dead-panned.

"Not even a little bit?" she pouts, blood red lips pursing together to mock his resolve. "Not even a teensy weensy, itty bitty bit?" She's close enough that Robin can smell nothing but her perfume and the scent that is purely Regina. He'd be lying if he'd said he never fantasized about this; The Evil Queen and all her dark power standing wanton before him. The shiver that runs through him as her tongue darts out to lick at his earlobe quickly gives him away. She laughs, but it's not Regina's laugh (the one that he takes great pride in coaxing out of her) it's deeper, lustful. Even her voice has changed as she whispers hot against his ear. "Is she still satisfying you, Thief? I doubt it. Wouldn't you like to know what's on the other side? I can assure you the view is much, much, better."

She's sucking bruising kisses along his jaw when Robin's heart manages to override his wandering mind and uncooperative body. He grabs her shoulders and pulls her roughly away from them, spins them both and forces her hard into the nearest tree. The change in position does nothing to deter the queen. She reaches for his jacket, pulls him flush to her with more strength than was logically possible. "It's okay, Robin, you can tell me." She's not kissing him, but her lips move against his as she speaks. He can taste her breath on his tongue. "You miss me, don't you? You miss the part of her that was me; that little edge that kept her hard, that made her take what she wanted, that bit and scratched? You miss the darkness. You wanted the darkness."

He hates the way his body responds to her, but it's out of his control and she's close, so closely pressed to him that it would be impossible for her to miss the shift in certain parts of his anatomy. But this isn't Regina, not his Regina anyway. "I don't miss what the darkness did to her," he tells her as he leans in impossibly closer, his words spoken into her skin. "I don't miss how she felt guilty for every errant drop of blood she caused when we made love. I don't miss how she would wake screaming from nightmares of the horrors that you caused."

"We caused!" She spat into his face. "Don't you dare think that her separating herself absolves her of anything that we've done. She has the same blood on her hands that I do," she bit into his shoulder, slowly letting her teeth break the skin. Robin winces at the pain, but holds her gaze as she runs her fingers over the blood she's drawn, smearing it and coating her fingers. "Her mistake is no longer enjoying it."

"You're a monster," Robin releases his hold on her, taking the opportunity that her dramatic display of bloodshed has caused to put some space between them. "One that I'm glad she's rid of."

"You're lying, Thief," she calls after him, smiling maliciously when he takes the bait and stops. "You never wanted this. I was there, after all. I heard you beg her not to listen to that idiotic snowflake. 'Regina, please…', 'Regina, I love all of you…'. Pathetic. Just admit it: I'm the one you want. The better one, the stronger one, the one who would let you play out your darker desires."

He could have gone, should have gone, but Robin feels himself walking back to her. He can see in her self-satisfied smirk that she thinks she has won. Good. Let her think that. When he reaches her he doesn't allow himself to hesitate, roughly grabbing the back of her head and fusing his lips to hers. It unnerves him for a moment; the kiss that is rough and desperate, yet somehow still hers. But a moment is all the queen needs. Her fingers sink into his chest in the same moment that Robin's blade sinks into her stomach.

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 **Look what you've done.. Now I've started things again. Things that will have to be finished in installments. Alas...**

Reviews please :) Is anyone actually interested in a series like this? Hoodies?


	2. Another Way 2

**Part 2 with some fluff. I couldn't leave you hanging.**

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She was laughing again, a sound that could only be described as evil coming out of her rotten core. The hilt of Robin's knife protrudes from her abdomen, dark blood slowly staining her gown, but the queen only laughs and laughs as she steps away. Robin's eyes flick frantically between his bloody knife and his beating heart that now resides in the queen's palm.

"Come here," she beckons and his body blindly obeys her command. She pulls the knife out, her magic sealing the wound the moment the blade is free, and drops its back into his hand. "Care to try again, Outlaw?"

"Wouldn't do any good, would it?" Robin raises an eyebrow to her healing midsection as he wipes her blood onto his pant leg and re-sheathes his knife.

"No, but I do admire your efforts, your devotion. Even if it is to the wrong Re-gi-na." She draws out each syllable, tapping his cheek with the point of her nail; the name he adores sounding like a curse spilling from her lips.

"There's only one as far as I'm concerned," he tells her.

"Are we still on that?" she guffaws, throwing up her hands in feigned exasperation. "Can't you see me standing before you? Can't you feel me?" She stretches catlike against him, pressing his heart against his ear. The frantic beating drowns out the noise of the forest around them. He wishes he could calm its rhythms; he wishes the careless front he's trying to show her wasn't so obviously false. "Can't you see I'm everything she's not." The Queen purrs against his heart and he feels the vibrations running through his body.

"I can see that you're everything she hates about herself, everything she regrets," his voice is strained as he fights against her magic's hold.

"I hold your heart, Thief, and you would mock me?"

"You hold the organ, my heart belongs Regina. MY REGINA!" He yells into her face even as she begins to squeeze the enchanted heart in her hand. He will not back down. If this is to be his end, he will die knowing that he stood up _to_ the evil queen and up _for_ the woman he loves in spite of her.

"Get the hell away from him!"

Her voice cuts through the throbbing pain that's consuming him and Robin manages to step back just as fire rips between them. The flame singes Robin's jacket, but that's the least of his worries at the moment. Regina stands to his left, flame blazing in each palm; the queen to his right, still holding his heart although her grip has lessened enough to allow him to breath.

"Regina, dear. Lovely of you to join us. My soulmate and I were just having a little chat about all the finer things in life that you are now lacking," she mocks, carelessly tossing Robin's heart from hand to hand as if preparing for a juggling act.

"I said 'Get away from him.'" Regina launches the flame towards the queen's feet. The other woman doesn't flinch, only sneers at her counterpart as she tramps out the flames with a healed boot. The heat she feels against her foot confirms what Regina had already suspected. "Give me his heart," she demands, calmly walking forward to place herself between Robin and the queen. Her thief's hands instantly circle her waist to pull her away, but Regina won't be moved.

"And why would I do that, dear? You wouldn't even know what to do with it." She's stroking the organ, almost tenderly, but there's an underlying malevolence to the movement, a taunt that tells them she holds his life in her hand.

"Because you want to live," Regina answers flatly as she grabs Robin's knife and presses it to her own throat with on swift move.

The queen's free hand flies instantly to her own neck. She can feel the coolness of the steel, the pressure of the blade, the trickle of blood where Regina nicked her own flesh. "You wouldn't dare."

"You know better than anyone that I would." She feels Robin's arms tighten around her, feels his breath huffing out against her neck. He's murmuring something into her ear, but she forces it aside. She created this monster and she'll be the one to destroy her. "His heart," she demands again, holding out a hand that is far too steady for someone that is millimeters away from slitting her own throat.

The queen holds out for another stubborn moment before screaming her frustration as she vanishes in a cloud of purple smoke leaving Robin's heart to lie in her outstretched hand.

Robin's hand closes tightly around the knife, pulling it from her throat before she realizes just how hard she's shaking. "Are you okay?" she whispers over and over as Robin throws the blade to the ground and turns her toward him.

"Don't ever do that again," he breathes against her face as is forehead rests to hers. There's a small line of blood trailing from her throat to her collarbone and he has to close his eyes against what could have been.

"I had to stop her," her voice still shakes as she stares at the pure heart in her hand. The heart that loves her, that was almost crushed by the worst of her.

"There are other ways than killing yourself." His hands cradle her face as he tilts it up to meet his.

"Maybe not." There's a fear in her eyes as she looks down again. Robin follows her gaze to the dark red stain on her shirt: her blood, still wet from where it began to pour out of her without cause. He steps back from her, horrified.

"You're connected?" It's not a question, but he asks it all the same, scrubbing his hands over his face. It does nothing to get the image of her bleeding out by his hand out of his head. "I could have killed you," he stammers, slowly walking away.

She'll have none of it though, catching his arm and holding, fingers wrapped firmly around his tattoo. "You didn't know. There was no way you could have known."

"You…" his voice breaks into tears that will not let him give voice to what he could have done.

"Are fine," she grabs a hand full of her ruined shirt and jerks it up to reveal her stained, but undamaged abdomen. "I'm fine," she repeats as he runs trembling fingers across her exposed skin. She takes his hand in hers, pulls it away from her blood and brings it to her heart. She feels his own heartbeat slow as she presses his palm to hers. "Let's put this back where it belongs, shall we?"

His eyes dart to the heart she still holds gently in her palm, he'd completely forgotten it missing. With everything that had just happened, its locations seemed irrelevant. He can only nod his assent. What does one say when your heart is about to be put back into your chest? He can't describe the feeling of not having it, (thinks maybe he understands a bit more of her from when they first met in Storybrooke) but he trusts her explicitly.

Once the organ is balanced between her palm and his chest, Regina hesitates. It's ridiculous, she knows. She's plucked and pushed hundreds of hearts to and from their owners in her day. But not his; she's sworn to him, to herself, it would never be his. Robin notices, notices everything it would seem, and covers her hands with his own, urging her to push it back in to place. There's a sharp pain, but nothing compared to having it pulled out. He takes a deep, steadying breath, another, then closes the scant space between them by wrapping her in his arms. "Promise me you aren't listening to anything that vile woman says," he asks with his cheek pressed to hers.

"That vile woman is me." She tries to hide the tremble in her voice. Tries and fails.

" _Was_ you, and even at your worst, I doubt you were that bad," Robin soothes, fingers weaving through her hair, running up and down her back.

"You've never seen my worst," she corrects, tears sliding from her eyes to his cheek, his hands.

"True, but I have seen your best," he wipes at her face, shifts so she's tucked into his shoulder, but doesn't let go. "I see it every day."

She hears him, but isn't ready to believe it. "I killed someone today," she cries openly into his chest. "In front of my son."

"Because you had to. Regina, you know you had to. And so does Henry," he assures, knowing for a fact that her son thinks impossibly more of her after her earlier heroics.

"Still. My first days free of darkness and I killed a man that did nothing to deserve it. She's right. I can't escape it, her, myself." She tries to pull out of his arms, but he holds her in place. The adrenaline of the moment is over; Regina has no fight left in her, so she sinks back into him. "You were right. I never should have done this. I could have gone on with her inside of me, I could have…"

"No, I wasn't." He sees the shock on her face because how could he possibly agree with her now, after everything that's happened and will most likely continue to happen? "Regina, seeing you these last few days…" he starts, then switches tactics for something more honest. "I was never bothered by your darkness, but you were. And while it hasn't changed how I feel about you, it has changed how you feel about yourself and that has been a beautiful thing to witness, Milady." He kisses her forehead, her temple, the tip of her nose, before lifting her chin to gain access to her lips. "A beautiful thing," he repeats against the corner of her mouth before finally capturing her lips. She tastes of tears, but no matter, he'll kiss them away.

She's reluctant at first, won't allow herself to give into the soft, insistent kisses he presses to her lips, but he's a patient man and bit by bit her resolve wears thin. "We'll find another way?" she asks between kisses because she needs to hear him say it one more time.

"We will," he assures, moving down her jaw and back to her lips. "Together."

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 **I've gotten some awesome reviews and encouragement, so this series will definitely continue throughout the season (because I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be happy with how they bring Robin back. Hopefully optimistic, but still...) I've gotten a couple prompts already. "Robin being present during the split" is currently being worked on, but if there's ever a scene you'd like to see please please please let me know. My brain needs a creative outlet.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	3. Mr Locksley

**I'm going to attempt to do one for every episode. This is what came of 6x03. Nothing but fluff.**

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She's watching him from the kitchen as she wraps up left over lasagna and piles dirty plates into the sink. Henry and Roland ran from the table the minute their plates were cleared, but Robin has yet to move. He's been quiet all through dinner, not that that's unusual when it comes to lasagna night, but there's more on his mind than the appreciation of her culinary skills. He's staring at the table top and Regina is fairly certain he isn't aware they've all left him. She decides the dishes can wait and returns to the dining room, comes up behind him and wraps her arms around his neck. "Earth to Robin?" she asks, sinking into him. When her inquiry goes unanswered she kisses her way up his jaw. "Hey," she hums when she reaches his ear.

He flinches and then meets her eyes with an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry," he kisses her cheek then loosens her hold so that he can pull her into his lap. "How was your day?" he asks when she's settled between his chest and the table.

"Oh, no," she runs her fingers through the hair at his nape, pulling slightly. "You're not getting off that easily. Tell me what's on your mind?"

"What do I do here?" he asks, holding her a bit tighter. She doesn't answer right away, when she does its only to ask him what he means. He's not ready for this conversation, doesn't want to tell her what's been on his mind all day (since he's come back if he's honest with himself). But he's in her home, in her life, and Robin knows he can trust her with this. "You're the Mayor, love. David and Emma keep the law. Belle runs the library. Everyone has a purpose here."

"Those are jobs, Robin. It's not who we are."

"Still, they've made lives here, found a place."

"You have a place here."

"I know, and I'm quite happy with it," he bounces her slightly for emphasis, "I'm just not sure that my skills from our land transfer to Storybrooke life. Thievery isn't a very noble occupation here." He laughs it off, but he knows she sees through it.

"What do you want to do?" she asks earnestly, prepared to restructure the entire town in order to rid the doubt from his eyes.

"Snow actually offered me a job today, I'm sure she was just being kind, but it got me thinking about what else my life could be here."

"She wants you to teach," Regina tells him, sitting up so she can face him.

"She told you?" Robin asks.

"No," she answers quickly because Snow hadn't said a word about wanting to hire Robin, but more because she doesn't want him to think she's been planning his life. "She's been mentioning that she wanted the town to get back to 'normal', whatever that may be in a town built by a curse, and she's been recruiting teaching staff left and right. She even asked Whale to consider teaching science." She rolls her eyes; a habitual reaction to the mention of the doctor's name.

"I know you dislike him, love, but he is quite intelligent." Robin stands bringing her with him and guiding her to the living room.

"Whatever. I don't like him." Regina leans into him the moment he's settled on the sofa, weaving her fingers with his. For a time they're content to simply sit and listen to the boy's laughter upstairs and watch the flames flicker in the fireplace. She's knows the conversation isn't over, but he's with her so she'll enjoy the pause.

"I honestly don't even know why she asked me," Robin finally confesses. "I can't imagine what I would teach."

"English," she tells him without hesitation and smiles when he looks surprised. "You've read everything on my bookshelves twice, practically everything in the town library, and you know the old tales from our land better than anyone that's spent most of their lives under a curse. And you like to write; you have your journals and…" She stops when she realizes his initial surprise has turned to shock. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling. It's completely up to you what you would want to teach or even if you want to teach or…"

Robin kisses her mouth, halting anything further she had wanted to say. "Love, breathe."

"I'm sorry. I just want you to be happy. I want you to make a life of your own here and…" He sees the shift in her eyes, the brief flash of sadness, of insecurity, the resurgence of that voice in her head that tells her he's better off without her and her complicated life. He'll have none of it.

"I'm very happy, Regina. And I love the life I've made here with you and our children," he pecks her lips again, once more. The last longer, softer, hands slipping into her hair to hold her forehead to his.

She'll never be over the way he holds her face, like she's something precious and delicate meant only for his hands. She loves him, wants everything for him. "Do you want to teach, Robin?" she breathes against him.

Does he? He's been thinking about it, knows he could do it, but hearing the passion she had for him to take this chance put everything into a new perspective. "I think I do," he admits to her and himself.

"Then stop overthinking it. The school would be lucky to have you and if you don't like it, you'll find something else that you do." She slips back to her place at his side and wraps her arms around his middle. "You've more than earned the right to be happy."

"We all have." He shifts lower on the couch so she can lie against him more comfortably. "I think Snow is right to want things to get back to normal. It seems they'll always be something, but we've been missing out on life waiting for the next crisis to happen. We could wake up tomorrow to another curse, another villain to vanquish. Or, we could wake up to apple pancakes and spend the day at the park where you will not so subtly spy on Henry and Violet."

"I do not spy," she swats at his chest. "As his mother, I observe."

"Of course, Mi'lady," he chuckles, making her body shake against his.

"Mr. Locksley does have a nice ring to it," her fingers trace abstract patters on his thigh as his dance against her scalp. "And if you can get Henry reading something other than comics or that storybook, you'll forever be my hero."

"Then my life's purpose is fulfilled," he tells her in jest, but the sentiment is true. He feels her laughter more than hears it and thanks the fates once more for allowing him this second second chance. They're quiet after that, bellies full and consciences clear as they hold each other in the fading firelight.

"Robin," she mumbles, nearly asleep against him as his fingers continuously run through her hair.

"Regina," he keeps his voice low, not wanting to pull her from the relaxation that's she rarely allows herself.

"…love you."

"And I you."

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As always, thank you for reading.


	4. Red Dresses and Promised Made

**Very mild M-ish because I'm inept at writing anything more. My lovely Sandpiper, if you're still reading (hope you are) I'm not ignoring your request, just trying to feel out where to work it in.**

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Red Dresses and Promises Made

Its late afternoon when she finally gets home from what was supposed to be an easy day at the office. Robin has her dining table covered with papers marked up in red ink and Henry is doing dishes faster than she's ever seen in her life. He's 'studying' with Violet tonight, she remembers now that he had mentioned it this morning when they'd passed in the hall at Emma's. "I'll finish," she tells him, taking the dish towel from his hand and cocking her head toward the door. "Be back by 9, mister," she calls after him. Curfews may be ridiculous for someone who has traversed realms (one of them being the Underworld), but he's still her son and it's a school night.

Henry turns on heal, skips back to the kitchen and kisses her cheek. "I love you," he tells her, winking before running off again. She stares at the closed door for a moment before returning to the kitchen to finish the few glasses he'd left behind.

"You're handling this very well," Robin comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and rocking them back and forth in front of the sink, "Henry having a new woman in his life." He kisses the cheek her other cheek with a smack that echoes through the quiet house.

"Girl," Regina corrects and feels him nod behind her. "She's a nice _girl_ and he _should_ be out doing things with nice girls his age, not fighting off evil with his mothers."

"I agree," Robin continues to hold her loosely, but his lips begin to wander down her neck, across her shoulders and back. "I was just wondering when you came to this realization?" he asks before kissing just behind her earlobe.

"How was your day?" she asks instead of answering him. He won't let it go, she knows this, but she also knows that he'll wait until she's ready.

"It was good." He straightens up, but leaves his hands resting on her hips. "Really good, in fact. I'm glad I decided to give this teaching thing a go."

"Me too," she smiles. "You seem happy, abhorrent grammatical errors and all."

"I am," he confirms, hands wandering up to play with the ends of her hair while she dries. "So what did you do with your day, Madame Mayor?" he asks.

"Oh you know, the usual," she muses. They're flirting needlessly and Regina can't describe how much she's misses this easy back and forth between them so she draws it out the best she can. "Expense report, insulted the munchkins, knocked another villain off the to-do list…" she finishes drying the last glass and Robin doesn't waste a second in turning her toward him, pressing her into the counter with a bruising kiss.

"You haven't worn that dress since—" he pants against her.

"—you pealed it off of me and left it to wrinkle on the floor of my vault?" she teases.

"I don't recall you complaining about wrinkles at the time, mi'lady," he gives right back.

Regina looks at the clock on the stove. She knows Henry won't be home a minute before nine (or a minute after), still plenty of time. She drapes her arms over his shoulders, pulls him down so that her lips brush his ear. "I won't complain now either," she whispers low and seductive then squeaks rather loudly when Robin unexpectedly lifts her onto the counter, hands skimming up her back, seeking out the zipper hidden in the fabric's seam. "Where's Roland?" she asks when he releases her lips barely long enough for them both to draw breath.

"Sleep over," he answers, hastily reclaiming her mouth while his hands coast along the newly exposed skin of her back.

"On a school night?" she questions, but it's lost in a sigh as he begins gently nipping at her pulse point.

"With John," he informs her without breaking the rhythm of his kisses.

That's good, Regina thinks. Or at least the part of her that is still thinking does; the part that is not melting into Robin's every touch. "We should go upstairs," she manages, pushing at his chest so she can scoot herself to the edge of the counter. "Just in case. Our kids are already going to need therapy; they don't need to see this too." They both laugh as Robin helps her back to her feet, pulling the straps of her dress back up to her shoulders. He doesn't bother with the zipper, plans on taking it off again in very short order. They don't get many nights like this, both child and villain free, and he intends to savor every moment.

By the time they get to the bedroom, Regina has her bra unhooked and is shimmying out of her dress. She tosses it to the chair while Robin removes his shirts. She barely gives him time to untangle his arms from the sleeves before she presses against him. Her palms press up the muscles of his back until she's holding onto his shoulders as she lays hungry, wet kisses along the stubble of his jaw, down his neck, across his chest; everywhere she can reach without letting any space between their bodies.

Robin has a hand in her hair, the other unashamedly gripping her ass, as he walks them back towards the bed. He sits, pulling her along to straddle his lap. It takes a bit of coaxing, but he pulls her away enough to kiss her properly. Lips and tongues and teeth all melding into one and its perfect, it's everything he's been waiting to get her alone for for weeks, until it's not. Her pleasured moans turn into a strangled sob that vibrates through his lips straight to his heart.

Regina tries to hold it in; lips moving from his to that spot near his chin that drives him to distraction, hoping her slip will go unnoticed. Of course it does not. He's pulling at her head, gently, always gently, urging her to stop, to look at him, but she can't. She won't. Instead she winds her arms around his neck, buries her face in the crook and begins to rut her hips against him urgently.

Robin's hand slip form her hair, stroke up and down her spine a few times before settling on her rolling hips. He grips her tightly, holding her against him, but stilling her movement. She's desperate in the way she's clinging to him. It's an unusual urgency that shakes him to the core, like he's something she's afraid she'll lose. "What happened today?" he asks again, this time with no intention of letting it go. The only answer he receives is her fingers pressing harder into his shoulders until he's sure they'll be bruises by morning. "Regina, I'm not going anywhere," he assures her. "Tell me."

"I am," she mumbles against him. She feels hot tears slip from her eyes, knows he feels them against his neck.

"You are what, love? I don't understand." Robin loosens his grip on her, lets his arms drape around her waist.

He's waiting. She would wind up soulmates with the most patient man in the universe. She wants to tell him, needs to; he deserves to know. But she doesn't know how. Regina turns her face away from him still resting her cheek against his shoulder, releasing her grip just long enough to wipe her eyes and push her hair behind her ear before she's clutching at him once more. "We defeated Hyde today because Jekyll died," she explains with a voice that trembles under the reality she's facing. "It was the only thing that could stop him. The original…the original had to die. I—"

"Do not finish that sentence," Robin interrupts in the tone her reserves for tearing down a foe or defending her honor.

"I did this. I _let her out_." She releases him suddenly and scrambles off his lap, pacing the room in only her underwear, arms crossed protectively around her chest. He doesn't understand, she thinks, he won't ever understand. "Robin, I have to destroy her even if…"

"NO," he says again before she can say the words he will not hear. "We'll find another way, Regina, we always do. Me standing here is proof of that!" He steps behind her, wraps her up in his arms before she can turn away. She's scared, he can tell. He can also tell that she wants him to think that she's angry or simply annoyed at the recent turn of events. But he knows her too well, knows her demons and what really hides in her darkness.

They stand like that for long quiet moments in the middle of their bedroom, him just holding her, her back pressed to his front. He doesn't see her tears, nor she his, but neither lets go. "I'm not ready. I'm not ready to leave this life we've built." She lets her arms drop to his, her fingers weave with his where he still holds her waist.

"You won't have to. I won't let it come to that," Robin nuzzles into her hair.

"It may have to," she argues again, trying to make him understand what she herself won't accept.

"No, it…"

"You know it may have to. I already made Emma promise that if there was no other way she would do what has to be done. What if the Evil Queen starts hurting people I care about, if she hurts our kids our kids? If it comes to that I'd never forgive myself and you know it." Her voice is thick with tears, wavering with anger and fear.

He does know, knows she's walk through fire for those she loves, knows she'd sacrifice her own life without thought our hesitation. It scares the hell out of him. "She agreed?" Robin asks, knowing Emma wasn't given the option to refuse.

"She owes me for when she went all Dark Swan," Regina quips. Sarcasm has always been her greatest weapon against her own vulnerability and she will not be vulnerable. Not about this.

"Then you promise me something," Robin's hold tightens around her. He rest his chin on her shoulder so that she feels his hot breath against her ear. "Swear to me on the lives of our children that you'll not even think of this as anything other than a last resort. Absolute last." She takes a second longer to respond than he's comfortable with. Robin releases her, moves so that they're face to face, so that he can cup her face and press his forehead to hers. "Promise me," he asks her desperately.

"I promise." She tips her head up to kiss his temple, wraps an arm around his neck, the other around his back. She takes a moment to breathe him in, to remind herself that he is here with her, safe, real. A moment to remind herself that this man loves her without any reservations, wants her simply because she is. "I love you, you know," she says looking straight into his eyes.

"I know," he tells her. Adds "I love you too," because he does, has loved her to death and back and will fight for her even when she won't fight for herself.

"I'm sorry I ruined our evening alone." Her fingers trail absently along his neck, down his back, and back up.

"There will be others" he assures her as his hand moves slowly from the small of her back to her rear. "Many many others," he smiles against her lips as his hand gropes freely.

"Henry will be home soon," she reminds him, pulling his mouth to hers, pulling his body closer.

He glances at the clock on the nightstand in the momentary pause between her kisses. Henry _will_ be home soon, but there's still time enough to make love to the woman he'll never let go.

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Reviews are nice. :)


	5. The Battle Unknown

**Well it's been an interesting week for sure. I needed to escape this unfortunate reality for a bit. Sandpiper, thank you for the prompt. I hope you like it and I'm sorry it took so long to get out. Sometimes life kills your muse…**

The Battle Unknown

Regina is alone on the rooftop terrace. Snow, the person she had spent most of her life trying to destroy, had just given her the opportunity to change her life. Her way out. Her chance at freedom. Snow would be back any moment with Jekyll's serum and Regina was ready. She hadn't thought about it long at all before she'd readily agreed. They were coming up the stairs, Snow and Emma (she wanted the savior's magic at hand just in case), but they weren't alone. The door opened with enough force that it slammed into the wall. Robin was in front of her before her brain could process that he had come through the door. His hands were tight around her biceps, forehead pressed intimately to hers. She feels his breath warming her face.

"You don't have to do this," he tells her. "You're fine the way you are, Regina, please. You can't know what this will do. I don't want to lose you." Robin cries freely against her, not caring about their audience in the slightest. He has no shame in fighting for the woman he loves.

"I have to." She snakes her arms through his so they rest against his chest. His heart is racing underneath her palm. "Robin, I can't live like this anymore. I can't live with this. Please understand."

He can't. He loves her as she is, fell in love with her while she fought against the darkness. "I love you, Regina. I love all of you. What you've made of your life, what you've overcome…"

"I'm exhausted, Robin," she interrupts, her own tears mixing with his. She doesn't want to tell him her weakness, doesn't want him to know that the person he fell in love with is waging a constant war she hides from the world, but she needs him to understand. She needs him to be next to her when she comes away from this, so she pulls him closer and lets it out. "I fight it every day, every second. I want to feel like the person you see when you look at me."

He looks in her eyes then, really looks, stares into her as she pleads with him to understand this, to accept it. She's raw, open in a way he's never seen her (and he thought he'd seen it all). But he's with her, however ill-advised he thinks this may be. "I'm staying," he kisses into her hair before he gently urges her toward a waiting Snow. He steps back as the needle goes into her arm, forces his eyes to stay on her as the serum is forced into her veins.

It's horrifying to watch, but he won't look away. She's in pain that much is clear, clawing at her skin, growling out, morphing from the woman he loves to the one that so many feared. Then with one final push what was one is two; the Evil Queen stands before them in full regalia, Regina slumps forward, looking at her alter in shocked horror.

"Look at what you've become," the queen mocks her, looking down in disgust at the woman that set her free.

"Regina, destroy her," Snow urges.

Robin lets his eyes flit to the pair that incited this. Emma has queen frozen in place and thank the gods for it because he's not sure he could protect Regina from this division of herself. Could he harm this villain who shares a soul with the mate of his own?

He's moved behind her, knows she doesn't notice because she hasn't looked away from her other self. Even as the queen taunts and bates her, Regina moves towards her. He remains a half of a step behind, knowing she must do this on her own, but he's as close as he can be without interfering. There's a moment where he lets himself hope that she gone back on her decision to do this, that somehow she'll set herself whole again. But the queen pushes too far, calls her weak, tells her that she needs her darkness and Robin knows seconds before Regina's hand plunges into the queen's chest that there is no going back.

"No. I don't," Regina tells her darker self. He hears her whispered "I'm sorry" and isn't sure if it's meant for the queen or for herself as the heart of her alter ego is crushed to dust that falls from her shaking fingers.

They all watch the queen dissolve to ash, jump at the thud of empty chains hitting the floor. Robin closes the space between himself and Regina. He can feel her shaking against his chest. She leans into him, but hasn't said a word. No one has. There don't seem to be words to quantify what they've just witnessed.

The silence weighs on Robin; with every labored breath from the woman in front of him he grows more and more concerned. It's barely been a minute, but it feels like years since he's heard her voice. He circles her so that they're face to face, runs his arms down hers, squeezes her hands then goes back up to cup her face. "Regina, say something," he urges, forcing her head up to meet his eyes as he searches hers for that spark he fears is lost. "Look at me love."

Her eyes dart frantically before finally settling on the ones that bore into her; terrified blue wells that ask a thousand questions between each blink. "It's gone," she whispers and he mustn't have heard her because he's still pulling at her hands, still squeezing the back of her neck. So she says it again with more confidence, but it comes out in a breathy laugh that only seems to confuse him more. She can't stop laughing, can't contain the feeling of not having to feel that oppressive darkness holding her back.

She brings his hand from her cheeks to her lips, kissing his palm before pulling him closer and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're okay?" he nuzzles against her neck, his hold around her still hesitant.

"I'm okay," she promises, kissing his cheek before pulling back. "I'm okay," Regina nods assuring him before she's being pulled into Snow's arms.

"I knew you could do it," the Princess tells her confidently. "I knew you were stronger than what she made you. You never _needed_ the darkness." Snow holds her hands between them. "Fresh start?" she asks. "No curses, no vengeance, just family."

"I'd like that," Regina tells her through fresh tears. "I'd like to _know_ that, to know you. Both of you." She looks to Emma who has otherwise been quietly observing. "Thank you," she tells the blonde.

"Don't mention it. I told you, happy endings are sort of my gig," she brushes off her part in all of this, but Emma knows Regina understands. There has always been something unspoken between them, filling in the parts that neither woman can bring herself to say. "Speaking of happy endings," she juts her chin to where Robin is making a poor attempt at casually leaning against the wall, "Tell him," she says simply, looping her arm with her mother's and leading the other woman back down the stairs. "We'll fill everyone in," she calls over her shoulder before shutting the door behind them and leaving Robin and Regina alone on the rooftop.

Regina leans beside him on the wall, hands brushing together naturally before he grabs hers and weaves their fingers together. They're both quiet, staring off at the lights in the distant, listening to the constant noise of the city. "You're okay?" he asks again, still looking ahead.

"I'm okay," she looks up at him and studies his face, the tight set of his jaw, the tears still glistening in his eyes. She begins to panic then. Has she lost him after just getting him back? Did he love the darkness more than her? He didn't want this, but can he forgive her for needing it? Her head is swimming with countless ways that this life between them could end.

He feels her doubt the minute it creeps in, feels her fingers tighten around his, hears her breath come faster. Robin does the first thing he can think of to silence her needles fears. He turns into her, traps her between his body and the brick and crashes his lips to hers, giving everything he has and taking all she'll allow.

It takes her only seconds to respond before she's pulling him closer, threading her hand through his hair and deepening the kiss. "I love you," she blurts out the moment their lips part. It stops him in his tracks, mouth poised to reclaim hers, but he hovers their instead. "I love you," she repeats, closing her eyes as his forehead drops to hers. "I know you knew that, at least I hope you knew that and I'm sorry I could never say it and I could never hear it…"

"Regina," he breathes against her. Of course he knew. Of course he understood. "I…"

"Please let me say this," she interrupts, pressing her thumb to his lips, waiting until she feels him nod against her. "I couldn't let it out because there was always something holding it back. A part of me that endlessly taunted that this was too good to last and if I said it than it was real and that part of me would push you away, would destroy this and I couldn't risk it winning. It's gone, Robin. I can't explain it, but I don't feel that…that prison anymore. It's gone. And I'm free. And I love you."

"May I speak now?" he asks, lips moving against the pad of her thumb.

"Yes," she swats at him, laughing. It feels so free to laugh.

"I love you too, Regina. Have loved every bit of you for quite some time. I've no intention of ever being anywhere else." He weaves his fingers through her hair and leans in to kiss her again.

"Mom?" the door to the terrace creaked as it cracked open. "Are you guys in the middle of something I don't want to see?"

"Not anymore," Robin answers, settling for kissing her forehead rather than her mouth. Regina giggled as she buried her face in his neck. She giggled and Robin realized that sound was definitely something he could get used to.

"Emma ordered pizza," Henry tells them as me makes his way over. "She said everyone had to have real pizza before we left for Storybrooke."

"Your mother is wise," Robin hugs Henry around the shoulders before making his way toward the stairwell. "Both of them," he adds with a wink to Regina before leaving mother and son alone.

Henry shifts from foot to foot, looking his mother up and down, looking for a visible difference. She's tear-streaked, but he's certainly seen her cry before. He studies her hands, her eyes, startling when she catches him staring. Regina moves to the table and taps the top for Henry to join her. They sit in silence for a while and she lets him stare, smiling softly when he grasps her hand across the tabletop.

"Ask me," Regina prompts when she sees her son trying to form the questions in his mind. "Henry, whatever it is you can always ask me." She squeezes his hand and waits the moment it takes for him to meet her eyes once more.

"Are you still you?" he ask quietly, rushing through the words.

"I'm still me," she smiles. "The me that you made me; the better me."

"Are you happy?" he asks, but it's been too often that she's not.

"Yes," she answers easily.

"Okay," he smiles approvingly. "We should get down there before Hook eats all the pizza."

"That, sounds like a fantastic idea. I'm starving." Regina rises holding her hand out to her son, pulling him into her arms when he stands. "I love you."

"Love you too."

They make their way back to apartment below, never looking back on the discarded ash that was the queen, never noticing as it glows and swirls and travels away.


	6. The Feel of You

**Hello lovelies! I feel like it's been 72,000 years since I've written anything. Shame on me. I had originally intended for this series to go in order with each episode. I should have known better. My brain doesn't do linear very well. This is my exploration of the connection between Regina and the Queen and the odd twist that is GoldenQueen.**

 **I'm going to say possible TW for dubcon just to be safe, but really nothing graphic at all.**

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"Regina open this door." Robin's fist pounds against the wood. They'd been curled on the couch, blissfully alone for the evening when she'd abruptly pulled away from him and disappeared upstairs. He'd waited a moment, two to be precise, watched as the clock on the mantel clicked down each second before going after her. He can hear the water running, see the steam curling from under the door. "Regina!" he pounds again, trying the nob again and again.

"I'm fine, Robin," she manages to steady her voice into something she hopes he believes.

He hears here muffled cry, the sound of something banging against the side of the tub. "Regina." He waits another beat, infuriated by her denial of him, but still not wanting to intrude on whatever secret she's keeping. She has her reason's, he's sure and as much as he wants to believe her, he's not about to sit outside the door when he _knows_ she is not fine.

She cries out, a short choked thing followed by another thud against the tub and Robin puts his shoulder into the door. It flies open, bouncing off the opposite wall (denting it no doubt, but he'll fix it later). He falls to his knees beside her. She's curled into herself on the floor of the tub, fully clothed, water running too hot from the shower head above.

"Gods, Regina." He reaches around her to turn off the tap, wipes wet hair from her face. "What on earth is going on?"

"It's nothing. I can't handle." She gasping for breath, shaking as she tries to turn away from him.

"This is handling?" he questions. "Regina, it's me. You can tell me anything." He steps into the tub, scoots down the wall settling in behind her and pulls her shaking body against him. He's soaked in seconds, but he doesn't notice anything but the way she trembles against him, the way she buries her face into his neck, hiding herself away. "I love you," he kisses into wet hair.

"I love you too," she mutters against him, her hand fisting in his shirts. "But I need you to go. Please." She looks at him then, brown eyes red and pleading hold his gaze until she's pushing away from him, curling back into the ball he found her in, whimpered cries muffled against her own thighs.

Robin doesn't leave the tub, but he doesn't force her to stay in his arms. She's scooted as far away as she can, which isn't that far, she's still trapped between his calves. Robin brings his knees up to try to give her a bit more room as she begins rocking herself back and forth. "Let me help you," he begs her, reaching out and grabbing her ankle. She flinches at the contact, but doesn't pull away. Robin moves slowly, his hand tentatively moving up to her hip as he resituates himself to his knees, hovering over her.

Regina makes herself impossibly smaller, practically fusing to the tub floor. Robin's hand is warm and steady against her hip, his other rests gently on the small of her back and she both loves him and hates him for being there. It's going to happen again, she can feel the coiling in her stomach, the tightening of her muscles, the racing of her heart. Her hand lurches back, blindly reaching for his. She means to push him away, to rid her body of his touch, but her fingers grip on to his and instead of pushing him away she's pulling him closer.

He moving down to her the moment her fingers meet his, matches her white knuckled grip with his own, presses his chest to her back as she cries out and goes boneless beneath him. Then she's just cries: loud painful sobs that block air from her lungs as they echo off the tiles around them. Robin sits back on his heels bringing her with him, scoops her out of the tub as he stands and carries her into the bedroom. She's shivering against him, wet clothes and hair growing colder by the second. This he can fix, Robin thinks as he peels her ruined dress off, leaving the garment to puddle on the floor and wraps her in the duvet, pooling it around her until she's cocooned. He sheds his own soaked clothes faster than he ever has in his life and slips into the pajamas he'd discarded on the floor that morning. Not once does he look away from her.

By the time he crawls into bed her sobs have faded to occasional hiccups and shuddered breaths; by the time she meets his eyes, she's warm, relaxed, and safe. "I can feel them," she confesses quietly into the darkness of their room. Robin inches closer, runs soothing fingers through her hair, along her cheek, and waits for her to elaborate. "The Evil Queen and Gold," she chokes out. "I can feel when their…together." She tenses in his arms as giving voice to what is happening makes it all the more horrible. Robin's hold around her tightens.

"How long has this been happening?" he asks, folding the blankets back so he can see a bit more of her.

"A few weeks now," she admits. Robin sighs heavily beside her. "The last few times it's been more" she pauses, searching for the right word, "…intense?" She sees him flinch out of the corner of her eye and everything she's feared comes crashing down. "God I—I'm sorry. I can't-" she pulls at the blankets, wrapping them more tightly around her.

"You can't control it," he finishes for her, prying the blankets away from where she's tried to bury her face from him. "Regina, I wish you would've told me." He thinks back on her behavior and hates himself for not noticing sooner. She's been avoiding his touch, leaving the table during meals, slipping out of their bed in the middle of the night. She shouldn't have had to tell him, he curses himself. He should have figured it out.

"I…" She can't say it. It sounds so ridiculous now as they sit on the edge of their bed wrapped up in each other, but she didn't want to lose him, didn't want to give him any reason at all to walk away.

He thumbs away the tear that slips free as she sniffs against him. He knows what she's thinking; she's always been an open book to him. "I'm not going anywhere, mi'lady. Certainly not for something beyond your control, something that's causing you pain." His fingers weave through her hair, the locks drying into the reckless curls that he loves. "May I hold you?" he asks, scooting fractionally closer, watching her face for any sign that he should retreat.

"You still want to?" she asks already letting her body melt into his.

"Until my end, Regina. No matter what. Never hide from me."

She nods against him as he pulls her the rest of the way in, snaking his arms through layers of blanket until his palm presses against her bare back and his legs tangle with her own. "I love you," she breathes into him, letting him soothe, letting him heal.

"And I you," his lips brush her forehead. "We'll figure this out, Regina. Don't ever think you're alone." He rubs aimless patterns against her skin long after she's fallen asleep, wishing not for the first time that he could take her away from the pain that haunts her life. But she's peaceful now, snoring softly in his arms as he drops delicate kisses into her hair.

...

...

...

She turns away from him; he's long since turned away from her. The moment they'd finished this evenings distractions he had left her in a cold bed, left the room with the door banging shut behind him. "Dark One's don't sleep," he's told her before. She's told him that "Queen's don't cuddle," and she's never asked him to stay, yet she still flinches every time the door slams. The bed is comfortable enough, the sheets silken as they slide against her skin. She's loose limbed, sated, chilled from sweat that cools her skin. The Queen turns to her side, pulling the unused pillow against her chest. She closes her eyes, focusing on the feeling of loving arms wrapped around her.

A single tear falls for the warmth that will never be there.

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 **Reviews and prompts are welcome and appreciated. Thank you for visiting.**


	7. Better Than Santa

This was my fluffy piece for OQ Advent. I figured I would post it here because, why not? Merry Christmas!

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In her 14 years of motherhood, Regina Mills has never once been called down to the principal's office. As her heals click along the linoleum she runs through the litany of scenarios that could have possibly landed Henry in enough trouble that the principal would dare to summon the queen turned mayor from her afternoon meetings. She knows whatever it may be to be completely baseless, of course. There was nothing reprehensible that her little prince could possibly have done, at least nothing without good reason. That was it then, she decided as she rounded the last locker-lined hallway. He'd been defending another student, Violet perhaps, probably against one of those beastly lost boys who were always vandalizing her town.

She raps on the door, entering before she was invited in and had the scathing lecture on proper disciplinary action on the tip of her tongue when she came face to face with an obstinate little boy. "Roland?" she questioned, all pre-conceived notions flying out the window. When her receptionist had given her the message about her son she never stopped to think that it could have been her sweet little mop-top boy. She bit hard into her bottom lip in an attempt not to laugh at the scene before her. Roland was standing on a chair, arms crossed tight over his chest, staring Mr. Little down with a scowl that would have made the bravest cringe. (If he hadn't been so darn cute.)

"I'm sorry to have to drag you down here in the middle of the day, Mayor Mills, but we seem to be at an impasse with young Mr. Locksley here and I'm really not sure what else can be done," John explained. They'd all agreed when he'd been elected to this position, that inside the school John they would remain professional, detached. It had never been an issue since neither of her boys ever found themselves in situations where the school's principal would have to intervene.

"I see." Regina took a seat next to the one Roland was balanced on. "Roland we do not stand on the furniture," she scolded.

"Sorry, 'Gina, but he wasn't listening when I was little," Roland calmly explained before sitting next to his mother, re-crossing his arms and resuming his deadly stare.

Regina did her best to hide her laugher in a feigned coughing fit. "May I ask what Roland has said or done that you are so obviously not listening too?"

"Roland would you like to tell Regi—Mayor Mi—Your Mother. Please tell your mother why you had to come to the principal's office." John was trying his best to be professional, but he'd known Roland since birth, had a fair hand in raising him. As much as he'd come to trust and care for Regina, it was hard for him not to be the parent in the room.

"Because I tolded everyone that my Daddy was better than Santa Claus and they all laughed!" Roland shouted. He'd obviously explained this more than once and was frustrated that John didn't understand.

"And?" John asked him.

"And I punched him," Roland mumbled. Regina was shocked. Roland was never violent, rarely even had the tantrums she'd fought through with Henry. "But he was lying about Christmas!" he explained.

It was Roland's first Christmas in Storybrooke. They had gone all out on the lights and the tree and cookies, read The Night Before Christmas again and again. She'd bought separate wrapping paper, hidden all his gifts away in the vault. Henry had spent hours helping Roland pick the best cookies that would be left for Santa. There was simply no way that he could have already lost his belief in the magic of Christmas. Unless someone had ruined it for him, her mind went right back to how she could punish the lost boys when John's hand on her shoulder pulled her back from her imagined vengeance.

"It's not what you're thinking," he whispered close to her ear. "It's so much better," he winked and leaned against the large oak desk. "Tell her why, Roland. Tell her what you told your classmates."

"I told them that Daddy used to break into houses and leave presents all the time, that he didn't have to wait until it was Christmas, that he was the best at sneaking in and out and he didn't have to use some dirty old chimney and catch his butt on fire! You were there too," he said directly to John. "You know it's true."

"His teacher and I think it would be best if he went home for the rest of the day," John explains to Regina. He can't bear to look at the betrayal he knows is in Roland's eyes, but he will do his job. "Because I do not tolerate _anyone_ being _violent_ in this school," he says directly to Roland. "Do you understand that?"

"Yes," he answered, dropping his head and staring at the floor. John looks down at the sad little boy until he feels Regina's hand on his arm. The smile she gives him is sympathetic, understanding and it makes him feel slightly less horrible for not blindly defending Roland.

"Am I in so much trouble, Gina?" Roland asks as she's leading him down the hall and out to her car.

"I don't like that fact that you hit another boy, Roland. We're going to have to talk about it." She tells him, trying to figure out what she's going to say.

"But they were lying!" he tries to pull his hand from hers, but she holds tight.

"In you go, mister," Regina says, opening the car door.

"So much trouble," he mutters under his breath, but still plenty loud enough for Regina to hear. For the second time today she finds herself biting her lip to keep from smiling at the little boy who wormed his way into her heart.

"We'll talk about it when we get home, Roland," she says in her best authoritative voice.

"Okay," he concedes then goes quiet. Good, Regina thinks. She'll have at least a 10 minutes (15 if she detours through the park) to figure how this conversation is going to go. She doesn't want tell Roland that there is no Santa Claus; she doesn't want to lie to him either, but she can't have him telling all the other kids that his father is the father of Christmas. Not when things in Storybrooke were just starting to settle into normalcy.

She'd never had this conversation with Henry, her son had easily (and ironically) believed in magic and fairytales, talking snowmen and flying reindeer. When he was nearing the age when his belief in Christmas should have waned, he still believed in everything. Everything but her. Regina swallows down the painful memories as she turned toward the park. They'd gotten through all that. They were a family now, Emma and the Charmings included, and they were all better for it. Henry loved her, believed in her when she still had moments of self-doubt. Like now. Why wasn't Henry here to help her come up with some witty and completely believable explanation that would help Roland understand all this? "Because he's playing hooky with Robin," she mumbles to herself. Because her husband loves her son as his own, just as she does his. "Get it together, Mills," she stares herself down in the rearview mirror before tilting it down so she can see Roland in the backseat. Big brown eyes lock with hers through the mirror and his little lip begins to quiver. No. Absolutely not will her little boy be in tears over Christmas. She turns left instead of right, heading back towards town, stops her Mercedes in front of Any Given Sundae just as she hears the first sniff from the backseat. "I do my best talking over ice cream, how about you?" she asks as he crawls out of the car, taking her hand and wiping his tears on the cuff of her sleeve.

OQ OQ OQ

They'd gotten home late, Henry and he, later than he'd planned. He knew Roland would already be sound asleep and that Regina would probably scold him for keeping Henry out so late on a school night. He held his finger to his lips, needlessly warning Henry to be quiet before soundlessly opening the door and creeping inside. The house was dark except for the glow from the Christmas tree in the family room; Regina was still up. He cocked his head toward the stairs and Henry didn't need to be told to get to bed. The boy gave him a wink that clearly said _You're in trouble_ before heading up the stairs and disappearing into his room.

Robin made a detour to the liquor cabinet before joining Regina by the fire. She was curled into the corner of the couch, blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders, staring absently at the Christmas tree. He knew that look. And while he no longer made any attempt at concealing his presence, it wasn't until he was standing in front of her, leaning down to peck at her lips that she met his eyes.

"I think I screwed up," she confessed as their kiss ended.

"Tell me," he urged, handing her the whiskey and pulling her from the pillows into his side.

"Roland got in trouble for fighting today. John wouldn't tell me with who," Robin laughs at the irritation in her voice and makes a mental note to thank John for his discretion. No doubt he'd be bailing her out of jail if she'd found out someone hurt her children. "He was actually defending you in a round-about way," she explains. "He was telling another student, that you were better than Santa Claus because you brought gifts to people who needed them all the time. They laughed at him and, well I guess the other boy said that if that were true Roland wouldn't be getting any presents because Robin Hood steels from the rich and because he's the son of the mayor…"

"I would steel my son's toys to give away to other children," Robin finished.

"Roland punched him in the nose," she giggled into her whiskey.

"Good."

"Robin, it's not good," she tried to be serious, but couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips every time she pictured her little boy with his balled up fists.

"Was the other boy hurt?" Robin asked.

"John said, no. He's five. He doesn't really pack much of a punch."

"I'll talk to him in the morning about fighting," he assures her. Then under his breath, "Maybe give him a few pointers," which earns him a well-placed jab to the ribs. "What did you tell him?" he asks because Roland standing up to a bully certainly isn't what's causing her melancholy this evening. She takes another drink and sinks down further against him, turning so her legs are draped over his lap. Robin combs through her hair waiting for her to continue.

"I may have told him that back in the Enchanted Forest you were one of Santa's elves." Regina rushes through the words, burying her face in his shoulder as soon as they are out.

"An elf?" Robin laughs, almost spitting out his drink.

"I didn't know what else to tell him, Robin, he was so upset and its Christmas. I didn't want to ruin this for him," she waves her hand toward the tree, the stockings, and the rest of the winter wonderland they've transformed the house into.

"But an elf?" he asks again, looking at the mischievous creatures that decorate the mantel. "With the pointy little ears and tights?"

"You do seem to be frequently associated with tights in this realm. Is there something I should know?" Regina asks playfully.

"Do not try to change the subject."

"I'm just saying, you might want to give them a try. You've got the legs for them." She runs her fingers down as much of his leg as she can reach and back up.

"Your feminine wiles will not get you out of this, Mi'lady," Robin tells her.

"Are you really upset?" she asks, concerned. "He thinks you're a hero already and when I told him that you help Santa Claus…you should have seen his face light up."

"It's not the truth," Robin says, suddenly serious. He's not mad at her, certainly not for saving Christmas, but he's prided himself in never lying to his son and funny as this may be, it feels wrong.

"No, it's not," Regina agrees. "But it's Christmas and he's a child and he's going to wake up on Christmas morning knowing that you helped make the magic possible." She feels him nod against her, feels is lips press into her temple, his hand massage up and down her thigh, and lets herself relax a little more. He's just about lulled her to sleep. The whiskey, the warm glow of the lights, the steady beat of his heart under her ear. She's just let her eyes close with no intention of reopening them when something is dropped into her lap. She opens her eyes to a red velvet box. "What did you do?"

"I've done nothing. An elf just dropped it by." He smiles down at her, biting at his lower lip, daring her to resist temptation.

"Robin, Christmas is still days away," she argues half-heartedly.

"Tell it to the elf."

She stares down at the box again, too big for a ring, besides he's already given her one of those. "You're impossible." A smile brightens her face before she's relenting and snatching the box up with a sigh. She opens it slowly, mostly to tease him, but once its opened he has clearly won. It's a simple design: gold masterfully sculpted into a woman holding the hands of two boys on either side; diamonds mark each of their hearts; her perfect family safe around her neck. "Robin," she breathes out, brushing her fingers over the design, eyes darting between his and the pendant.

She's not crying, but she's got that glassy eyed look she gets when he does something particularly thoughtful or when she reminds herself that what they have is true. He's knows he's done well. "They boys helped design it," he tells her, taking the chain from the box and fastening it around her neck. He pulls her hair out from under the chain, running his fingers through it before he lets it drop back to her shoulders. "Henry went with me to pick it up today. That's why we were so late."

"It's perfect," she whispers leaning back into chest, fingers brushing over the necklace resting over her heart.

"Of course you can't wear it until Christmas morning," he leans down and kisses her cheek. "And you'll have to act surprised. I shouldn't have given it to you early, but it seems you could use a reminder of how fantastic a mother you are. Don't ever doubt that."

They stay wrapped up in each other's arms listening to the crackle of the fire and watching the twinkling of the tree lights. Robin is quiet, but she can practically hear him thinking. His fingers draw up and down her arms, over her legs; he's planning something. "What is it?" she asks, reaching for his hand and drawing it to her lips.

"We should do it," he says simply.

"Do what?" she mumbles into his fingers.

"Christmas."

"We are."

"For everyone." That gets her attention, has her pushing herself up and sitting back enough to look at his face. "For the whole town. We could do it. The Merry Men would help, the Charmings, Emma and Killian. We could make Christmas magic real for everyone."

"You want to be Santa Claus?" Regina asks, shaking her head at the goodness of this man.

"No, mi'lady. I want to be an elf," he grins.

His smile is infectious and Regina finds that she's already planning. "I'll need some help. _Everyone_ is quite a few people, but I'm sure Emma will be up for it." She unfurls her fingers, but instead of the normal fire she creates, delicate snowflakes dance in her palm. She blows them and Robin watches as they float through the room, out the window, then burst and multiply until they're covering the town, basking everything in soft white light. "Operation Christmas Elf?" Regina asks as she untangles herself from him and walks to the window admiring her handy work as the snowflakes silently fall.

"I think Henry will approve of the name," he laughs, coming up behind her and pulling her back into his arms.

"He'll love that we're doing this. He's always loved Christmas," Regina tells him as she watches the snow fall, smiling as the image of her son running through the yard trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue plays in her mind. "Roland was right," she says sleepily against him. "You are better than Santa Claus."


	8. Wishes on Whims

_I'm alive guys! I'm also not supposed to be typing any more than I have to, but I had to. It got in my head and wouldn't leave. Please forgive the (abundant I'm sure) errors as this was mostly done left-handed on my phone. Also, Robin's back! Well, Robin 2.0, but it was adorable and Regina go all gooey and I loved it. This is not the wish realm, but the aftershocks._

* * *

 **Wishes on Whims**

Robin was furious, absolutely furious. What the hell had she been thinking? Well, that was abundantly clear. She hadn't been. Not for one god damn second did she think about where that fucking wish would send her. Or _when_ for that matter. She could have been sucked back in time, or pulled forward, or simply blinked out of existence. So while he was eternally grateful that she was upstairs reading Dr. Seuss to his son, he was so frustrated that he wasn't sure he could even look her in the eye right now.

He doesn't hear her come into the kitchen. He's still reeling when she comes up behind him, wraps her arm around his torso and lets her forehead rest between his shoulder blades. Regina knows something is wrong when he doesn't move. If anything, he tenses further as she tightens her arms around him. By now his arms would have covered her own, his fingers would have tangled with hers and he would bring their joined hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles before spinning under her arm and kissing her lips. It was their routine. But tonight as Regina leans into him, her nose tickling from the fabric of his sweater, Robin only brings his drink to lips; his other hand keeps its white-knuckled grip on the counter's edge.

"I love you," her words are muffled against his back.

"Do you?" It's a low blow and he knows it, feels almost bad for saying it, but it's out and he finds that he doesn't want to take it back.

"Are you honestly questioning that?" Regina releases him and pulls at his arm until he turns to face her. "Robin, what's going on?"

She doesn't know. Really and truly has no idea why he's upset and that only enrages him further. "You really have no clue do you?" he says louder than he intends. "You don't' think you've done anything wrong?"

Her mouth hangs open; genuine shock on her face as she stares into his eyes. "Please. Talk to me." She takes his hand in hers, but he pulls it away.

"You're not alone anymore, Regina."

"I know that," she interrupts. Makes to say more: that she knows she has him, that she cherishes their family, that nothing would come between that. But the look on his face stops her. She stands quietly and lets him continue.

"You're not alone and you can't make decisions like they don't affect anyone but you. You made a wish without a thought that sent you to another realm with no protection and no idea how to get home. You allowed yourself to be transported to gods know where and you didn't even think of us! What about your son, your _sons?_ What about that baby girl upstairs who won't go to sleep without your lullabye? For fucks sake, Regina, what about me? Everything we've been through, everything we've built? You don't get to choose to just throw that away so you can play the hero!" His voice rises with every word spoken until he's yelling in her face.

"I—" She steps closer to him, ready to fire back with equal intensity. No one speaks to her like that; after all she _was_ the queen. But she can't; no words come as she stands close enough to feel his hot breath against her cheeks. Robin slams his drink on the counter, liquor sloshing out, but he leaves it spill, shakes it off his hand and leaves her in the kitchen.

She's trembling when the weight of his words fully seep into her soul. He's right. Gods dammit, he's right. "Oh my god," she whispers to the empty kitchen. Her tears fall silently as she wipes up the spilt whiskey. She takes the time to wash the glass, dry it, put it back in the cabinet with the others, before making her way upstairs. She peeks in on their daughter first, still blissfully asleep in her crib. Regina deftly straightens the blankets and runs her fingers through fiery red locks just starting to curl.

She creeps across the hall to Roland's room. His mouth is wide open, snoring loudly with his stuffed monkey stuffed securely in his arms. She re-covers him (knowing full well that he'll kick them off again before she's out of the room) and places a kiss to his forehead.

Her fingertips graze the door to Henry's room. He's with Emma tonight: his other mother that she just returned to him. But at what cost?

The lights are off when she enters their bedroom and she doesn't turn them back on. Robin under the covers, but he's not asleep; she can tell by the way he's breathing is still short and labored instead of the deep, steady cadence that calms her. "Is Emma alright?" he asks as Regina slips out of her dress and in to his t-shirt.

"She's fine," Regina answers as she slips into bed next to him.

"I'm glad." Because he is, even understands why Regina risked everything to go after their friend. He might have done the same if their roles were reversed, but he won't tell her that tonight.

"I know you are. Robin, I—" she wrings the blankets in her hands. For the second time this evening, Regina has no idea what to say. "I'm so sorry," she finally breathes out because nothing else is adequate. There's no excuse for what she did, for the risk she took.

Robin stays silent, but finds her hand in the dark and holds tight.

"I wasn't thinking. I wasn't thinking about anything but how I could fix this, how I could get Emma back. This is all my fault, everything that _she's_ doing, it's _my_ fault and I had to get Emma back. But you're right. It was stupid. I could've missed out on all of this." She raises their joined hands and lets them fall back to the bed. "I don't want to leave this. You know that, right? You know that I love you?"

"Or course I do." He brings their hands to lips, wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her against his chest. They stay like that, Regina finally letting her body relax when Robin's breathing evens out. She wakes to the sound of her daughter's hungry cries and Robin's sleepy chuckle into her hair.

"I got her," she assures, untangling her limbs from Robin's and heading down the hall. Ella quiets the minute she's in Regina's arms as she searches out the bottle she knows is coming. Regina never minds the 4 am feedings, never had with Henry either. She loves watching her children in the quiet hours of the morning. Like there is nothing wrong in the world, nothing outside of the rocking chair that matters. She doesn't look up until the bottle has been drained and Ella's eyes have slipped close again. When she returns the girl to her crib she looks up to see that Robin is leaning in the doorway, pajama clad, bare feet, hair sticking up at every angle, and dimples on full display.

"I love you," she walks to him and wraps her arms tightly around his waist. His arms surround her without hesitation.

"And I you," he kisses into her hair, as they make their way back to bed and the brief normalcy they're allowed.


	9. Fall

**Fall**

 _A/N: There is no Robin 2.0 in this verse. That was just a sad, annoying (and frankly cruel) turn of events from this ever-disappointing show._

* * *

Regina opens eyes heavily crusted with sleep. The room is dimly lit, letting her eyes adjust slowly. She's in her bed, that much she can sense as the mattress and duvet both hug her body. Turning her head slowly to avoid aggravating the pounding inside her skull, she tries to piece together how she got here. She certainly hadn't expected to.

When her eyes finally focus, she's nose to nose with her son sleeping soundly beside her on top of the blankets. She makes to brush his hair from his eyes, thinking that he's long overdue for a cut and that that is probably only one of many things she's neglected of lately while trying to snuff out her evil half. Her arms are pinned though, held firmly to her sides by another sleeping boy who is wrapped around her waist and thinks there is probably no better way to wake up from certain death than with her children clinging to her. She won't wake them yet; they look so peaceful and she's certain they need the rest.

She shuffles slightly, knowing it would take an earthquake to wake her boys, but still, she won't chance it. Her body feels like lead and she can already feel the pull of sleep ready to take her back under, but she fights it off, turns toward the light in the corner wear Emma is curled up on her chaise reading a book. Robin is sprawled in the adjacent chair, mouth hung open, sleeping as soundly as his son.

"The pirate has good taste," Regina croaks out, her voice barely there from under use.

"He does," Emma muses, absently spinning the ring on her finger until she realizes who she responded to. The book is tossed aside and she's sitting on the edge of the bed seconds later. "Welcome back," Emma tells her while her fingers probe Regina's neck to check her pulse. Satisfied with what she feels she leans back and stares Regina down.

"How long was I out?" Regina asks.

"A few days," Emma tells her, helping her untangle at least one arm from Roland.

"A few?" Regina asks, running her hand through Roland's messy curls. She still can't reach Henry, but his weight on the mattress is comfort enough for now.

"Five," Emma tells her, checking the bedside clock for confirmation. They've officially entered the 5th day of this bedside vigil.

Five!" Regina bolts upright, tries to at least, but Emma's strong hands on both of her shoulders push her back against the pillows. Both women look to see that the boys are still soundly asleep.

"You almost died, Regina," Emma keeps her voice low. "I'm not entirely sure you didn't die for a few minutes back there. You need to rest."

"What happened?" she asks the blonde. Regina can feel it now that she's more awake; the darkness that is lurking within her. She's whole again. Again the only prison fit to hold the Evil Queen. But there's something else there and she closes her eyes, focusing, searching it out. Light magic, healing her still, moving slowly and purposefully through her veins. "Emma?" she asks again, needing confirmation of what she already knows.

"Sleep now. I promise I'll tell you everything when you're well enough to remember we had this conversation." Emma's eyes search Regina's, but find no sign of the maniacal queen. Only her friend stares back at her, tired and confused. Emma allows herself to relax, hopes Regina hadn't noticed the sword stashed under the chaise in case it was other eyes that finally opened; knowing she would understand if she had.

"Is everyone okay?" Regina asks, not willing to go back to sleep without at least knowing that much.

"Everyone's fine," Emma confirms as she scoots off the bed. "We won."

Regina's body releases the tension she didn't realize she was holding as Emma walks across the room, picks up her book and whacks Robin's arm with it. She can't help the smile as Robin's jolted awake. Emma is between them. She can't see his face, but she can hear the weariness as he leans forward, sighing into his hands. "Your turn to watch her," Emma tells him, glancing over her shoulder and winking at Regina before stepping back so Robin can stretch and pop his joints back into place. "Make sure she goes back to sleep," Emma tells him as she walks out of the room. She's not to the door before Robin's eyes fix on Regina's. His smile quickly matches her own.

* * *

 _Its super short, I know, but I hope that posting it holds me accountable to finish it fairly quickly._


	10. Fall 2

**Fall Part 2**

5 days earlier…

"Regina, slow down!" Robin manages to get a hand around her bicep before she rounds another corner. She shakes him off, turns on him with a fire in her eyes that gives the thief pause.

"She has my son, Robin," Regina says louder than necessary. "Do not ask me to do anything but get him back."

"We're going to get him back, but you're not running into this without a plan. It's a trap and you know it." Robin returns his hands to her shoulders, slides them to her wrists and back up. When she's as calm as he knows she will be until Henry is back with her he asks "Do you really think she'd hurt Henry? As you've said over and over, she is you. At your worst would you have hurt your son?" He means to calm her, but it seems her fear only grows.

"She's me without _me,"_ Regina jabs at her chest, "I have no idea what she'll do. But I'm not willing to find out. This ends now." She's shaking, terrified of the possibility of a life without Henry in it, terrified of what she knows she has to do to keep him safe. To keep them all safe. Robin knows. She can see it in his eyes, in the sadness and frustration she sees playing in them. She steps into his space, lets him pull her into his arms and presses her cheek to his. She takes precious, selfish seconds to breathe him in, to run her fingers through hair at his collar, to feel his lips press to hers one last time. "I'm sorry," she says through tears that fall unashamedly. Forcing herself back, Regina wraps herself up in her magic, leaving Robin alone in her kitchen.

…

"My mom is going to kill you," Henry says, fully confident as he sits on the couch in his mother's office watching the Evil Queen pace back and forth over the marbled floor.

"I am your mother," she spits at him, annoyed by his constant denial of that fact.

"Not so much." Henry grabs an apple from the coffee table, tossing over his head again and again. "My real mother will be here soon, both of them probably, and you'll regret it." He's bolstering, but he's a Mills; portraying confidence when none exists is second nature. While he knows that both Emma and Regina will be here before long, he has no idea what will transpire when they arrive. So he concentrates on the apple leaving and returning to his and tries to look as disinterested in the queen's presence as possible.

"Both of them," the queen scoffs, snatching the apple from the air and tossing it over her shoulder. "Do you know what you did to me when you ran off to find the precious Savior? The woman who threw you away? I should have been done with you then, you ungrateful little brat. _I_ took care of you. _I_ raised you. _I_ made you strong and kept you from turning into a pathetic unCharming. _I_ …"

"…will get the hell away from son." Regina appears with a swirl of smoke inches from queen, sending her magic flying out towards her other half before she has time to react. Regina winces as the queen slams into the wall, but it doesn't slow her down. She keeps firing spell after spell as the queen tries and fails to rise from the ground. "Henry, get out of here!" she yells over the destruction she's causing to her office.

"Not without you. I can help." He's so brave, her little boy who is nearly a man.

"Henry, please. You can help by getting to safety." Regina can already feel herself weakening. Every blow to the queen is a blow to herself and she knows she won't be able to sustain them for much longer. But Henry's not leaving, if anything he's getting closer and closer. "I love you," she tells him when he comes to stand at her side. "Always remember that." She drops her hands from the spells, cups her son's face, and kisses his forehead. The last bit of her energy she has is used to send him to safety.

It's the break that the queen needs. She sends Regina flying into the mirror over her desk and laughs as she crashes against the chair on her way down. Chains appear at the flick of her wrist, dragging her 'good' self's body into the chair and securing her there. "Did you really think I would hurt him, dear?" the queen asks, grabbing Regina's chin and forcing her to look into her own eyes. "I was saving him from becoming as weak and pathetic as you." She shoves her back, the chair bounces off the wall, Regina's head as well.

"He's better than either of us will ever be." Regina concentrates on the chains until they vanish. She rises from the chair and stalks back to an unimpressed looking queen.

"You can't hurt me, Regina. You can't contain me; you can't control me. Why do you keep fighting it? Aren't you tired?" The queen stalks around her, heavy skirts brushing against Regina's legs.

"Exhausted," Regina admits. "But I'll never stop."

"Too much to live for?" the queen laughs in her face as she plunges her hand into Regina's chest and pulls out her heart. "Well would you look at that," the queen muses as she turns Regina's heart in her hands, inspecting the light that outshines the dark. "I wonder how long that will last." She brings the organ to her own chest, but never has a chance to push it in.

…

Robin had asked himself over and over if he would ever truly be able to harm any part of Regina. He'd fallen in love with her when she was whole, was mesmerized by her light, was intrigued by her darkness. It was a mixture that made her uniquely her. But this separation has brought out her absolute worst of her, the parts that she hides from him, that she works tirelessly to suppress. Has brought them out into a living, breathing, monster that shares nothing with the woman he loves but a face.

When he finally tracks her down, entering her office to see that monster poised to steal a heart that belongs to him, he doesn't hesitate as he releases an arrow into the chest of the queen.


	11. Fall 3

_Thank you, everyone, so much for all the faves, follows, and reviews. It blows my mind that so many people are following this series. (Way more than 15...lol) Anyway, one more after this should tie this installment up._

* * *

Henry appears in a swirl of smoke in the middle of Granny's. He's batting it away, moving for the door before his feet are fully on the ground. He's only traveled by magic a handful of times and never when he wasn't prepared for it. "Easy Henry," Hook loops an arm around his waist seconds before the boy would have hit the floor. "It takes a bit of getting used to. I still get sea legs when…"

"She's going to kill my mom!" Henry yells out, interrupting the pirate. He doesn't care about sea legs, or magical travel, or anything but getting back to the place she sent him away from. "They're at her office. My mom and the Evil Queen. She said she was going to destroy her, to make her suffer. We have to go. She's alone!"

Hook has the phone Emma had given him out, before Henry has finished his hastened pleas the call is connecting. "Henry's with me, he's safe. But he says Regina's in trouble," he tells the Savior, trying to stay calm for Henry's benefit, but knowing it's futile. She wouldn't have sent him away if she knew it wasn't going to end badly. "Be careful, love. …Yes, I'll keep him with me," He reaches out an arm to wrap around Henry, but he is no longer there. The door to the diner chimes loudly as it slams shut.

"Well get after him!" Granny orders from behind the counter, but Hook is already hallway out the door.

…

Regina only registered the sound of the arrow whizzing past her ear after she felt the burning pain. She falls to her knees, hands flying to her chest, coming away covered in her own warm blood. The queen mirrors her actions, Regina's heart falling to the ground, rolling haphazardly away as she wraps her hand around the shaft of the arrow and pulls. She feels the pain, sees the blood, but physical pain has been all she's felt for so long it's a welcome embrace.

"Your thief is trying to kill us, Regina." The queen runs her fingers through the blood soaking into Regina's blouse.

"He's trying to save me," Regina pants as she swats her alter's hand away. "Big difference."

"By firing arrows?" the queen still manages to sound cynical with a bleeding wound in her chest. "I don't have a heart, Outlaw." She catches the next arrow that Robin fires without blinking and drops it casually to the ground as she steps over Regina. "Your precious love crushed mine when she set me free. The poor dear thought that would stop me." She walks until she's face to face with Robin, his bow tightly drawn. The queen presses her chest into the point of his arrow with a sinister grin on her face. "I'm glad you've come to her aid. You can watch as I destroy her."

Robin is frozen in place, but it's not by the queen's magic. He could release his arrow (it would go clean through her in their current position,) but she's already proven that won't be near enough. He drops the bow, looks past the queen to where Regina now kneels on the stone floor. There's blood, hers and the queens, puddled and smeared creating a stark contrast against the black and white marble. Her back is to him, but he can tell she's breathing hard. He's hurt her in his rushed attempts to save her heart.

"You forgot, didn't you," the queen clicks her tongue at him, forces him back against the wall when he attempts to move toward Regina. "We. Feel. Everything." She walks her fingers up his abdomen, lays her hand above his heart and begins to push her hand in to his chest excruciatingly slow.

Robin growls out in pain, fighting against the invisible force that holds him in place. She's going to kill him, he realizes. By coming here, he's made it easier for her to destroy Regina. The queen doesn't have to kill her; she'll do far more damage by killing everyone she loves. He returns his gaze to Regina. She's standing now, staring back at him with the same pain in her eyes he knows is in his. "I love you, Mi'lady," he tells her over the queen's laughter as her hands close around his heart.

"He does, Regina," she mocks. "I can feel it. Literally." She pulls his heart out of his chest and runs her fingers along the side, petting it. "Right there," she whispers close to Robin's ear. "Right there is your love for her." She pouts her lips, tapping the part of Robin's heart that shines the brightest.

He should be terrified; he should be begging for his life; he should be yelling at Regina to run, to save herself, but he can only stare as she staggers soundlessly towards them. She holds his arrow in one hand, her heart in the other. "I love you, Thief," Regina says with absolute certainty. The queen turns at the sound of Regina's voice, but not in enough time to stop her from plunging the arrow into the heart they share.

Everything happens simultaneously and yet seemingly in slow motion. Cries of NO! spill from Robin and the Queen. The magic holding Robin in place dissipates as the queen collapses at his feet. Regina never looks away from him. The sound of his arrow as it falls from her hand and rattles against the stone is deafening. He catches her heart in one hand, pulls her to his chest to brace her fall with the other. Emma appears in a whirl of white smoke just as his knees hit the floor.

"Oh my gods," Emma rushes to their side, trying to piece together what had just transpired. The queen is sprawled on the floor, eyes wide, staring at the three of them. She's mouthing something, but Emma can't make it out. She's not given the chance to try again because Robin shoves Regina's heart into her hands. It's cracked, feels like glass in the Savior's grasp as she tries to pour her light magic into it.

"Stop, Emma," Regina whimpers out as Robin leans her back to rest against his thigh.

"Let her help you," Robin begs as he brushes Regina's hair out of her eyes, keeps his fingers gently tracing the curves of her face.

Regina shakes her head, subtly, but they both see it. "…only…way…to stop her…" she manages to say through shallow breath as her eyes dart between Robin's and Emma's. When they settle on Robin, Emma turns her attention back to the queen. Her lips are moving, slower now. Emma is certain she says "destroy" over and over.

"She beat you," Emma tells the dying queen. She's surprised at the sob that breaks through, as well as the ones that follow that she can't control. Emma watches through her tears as the queen sneers one last time, chuckles seemingly to herself before her eyes fall shut. Emma turns back to Regina. Her eyes are still locked with Robin's, but Emma fears she no longer sees the man she loves staring down at her.

Robin's cries unabashedly, his tears blurring with those that fell from Regina's eyes and her blood that he caused to cover chest. The arrow may as well have pierced his own heart; he feels the pain from the blow just the same. "I love you. I'll always love you." He repeats it again and again, hoping to brand the words onto her soul.

"Mom!" Henry flies through the door, with Hook steps behind. Emma turns toward them, hastily wiping tears from her face. She still cradles Regina's fractured heart in her hand.

"Keep him back!" she instructs Killian. The pirate instantly wraps his arms around Henry's chest, pulling him back several feet. Emma is blocking the majority of Regina from view, but the destruction around them, the blood, the fallen queen, the tears of Robin and his other mother, hide very little from Henry's intuition. He doesn't fight against Killian, rather turns in to the older man and releases his grief into his worn leather jacket. Emma begins to stand, to go to her son and offer what comfort she can, but as soon as she begins to rise, Robin pulls her back down.

"Somethings happening," the thief says frantically as his eyes sweep from Regina to the queen. The body of the queen begins to tremble. By the way Robin's grip tightens around Regina, Emma can tell that the same is happening to her. They all watch in awe as the queen dissipates into a back mist. It swirls over Regina's still trembling from, before seeping into the heart Emma still holds, filling the cracks and cervices until the organ is smooth and solid; equal parts light and dark. Emma and Robin lock eyes, both nodding simultaneously at the other's unasked question. Emma plunges the heart back into Regina's chest.

* * *

 **Author's Rant: I say this with the caveat that they should never have killed Robin because it was stupid and I've never been a huge fan of the split queen storyline because if they hadn't killed Robin, I don't think it would have happened...I fucking loved Page 23! The message was outstanding. Regina first admitting that she hated herself and then after all the work she's done being able to say she loved herself was outstanding. Merging her heart back with the Evil Queen so she's basically herself again times two and then knowing that one of them gets to go off and have a life with Robin and one gets to stay and have a life with Henry! Ugh. They could end it right there (probably should) and I would be content. And of course, Lana slayed. I mean, seriously, can we get the woman a better show already?**


	12. Fall 4

**Fall 4 - Final chapter in this miniseries**

 _There are six shades of blue in Robin's eyes. How has she never noticed them before? Is it the tears brimming and falling that bring out their hue? They're warm, those tears, as they land on her cheeks, seep into her hair; warm like every part of him. Like his fingers that are shaking against her lips or the ones that tug gently at her hair hoping it will keep her awake a little longer. His breath is warm against her skin as he breathes words of love into her, makes promises he can't keep and begs any deity that will listen for her life. But his eyes, she has to focus on his eyes, can't let herself feel anything else. It's too much, too hard, she's being pulled under too quickly and she can't go yet. Not until she knows her evil half is gone, not until she knows they'll be safe. So she pushes the warmth away, pushes the soothing touches and the desperate words back until all she knows is his eyes and their 6 shades of blue. It's not the tears, she realizes. It's that they've never had this: long minutes just to stare into each other with nothing else in the way. There's always been an urgency, a battle, a grief, an inevitable something that has stolen these moments from them and made their time together a series of rushed encounters and desperate reunions. She wishes she could go back and slow them down, catalog each shade of blue before her vision fades to black._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Emma understands. Regina senses it the moment the Savior's light magic stops flowing through her ruined body. Emma understands that she has to let her do this. She'll help Henry understand, Robin, Snow, people she never imagined she would have in her life and who she will gladly give her life for. Emma will make them see that this was a choice Regina willingly made, one that she had to make to protect the people that taught her how to accept the love that they gave her._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Regina feels it the moment the Queen lets go. There's a ripple of satisfaction that runs through her knowing that she was ultimately stronger that her evil half, that if even by a few seconds, she won. She relaxes now: lets everything go but the feel of Robin's thumb against her cheek, his fingers in her hair, Emma's hands cradling her heart. Her eyes slip shut and Regina lets herself fall into the darkness._

* * *

 **Present**

Robin doesn't say anything as he makes his way over to the bed. There really aren't any words to describe how grateful he is to see her smiling at him. It's been 5 days since he's carried her up to their room, since Emma healed the wound his arrow had caused, since he'd held her and felt her tremble with an emotion he couldn't name when she was reunited with her darkness, since he'd ran bloodied fingers through her hair, holding her gaze until her eyes slipped shut. He touches her now, cups her face, runs his thumb along her cheek bone before tangling his fingers in her hair. "Hi," he whispers, leaning down to peck at her lips.

"Hi," she reaches up, wraps her arm around his neck and holds him to her forehead. "Thank you for being here." She didn't plan on waking up, and can't express her gratitude at not waking up alone.

"There's nowhere else I would be, Regina." He lingers a moment longer before he feels her lashes fluttering against his skin. "Emma's right, love. You need to sleep."

"I've slept for 5 days," she argues, but it's futile. She can barely keep her eyes open.

"One more won't hurt." He busses her lips again before pulling away. Henry stirs next to her as Robin lifts Roland from her stomach. "I'll be right back." Robin squeezes her shoulder, and then reaches over her to squeeze Henry's, urging him that last bit awake. It's the middle of the night, but Robin knows how much her son needs to see his mother awake and how much she needs to see him before she'll let herself get the rest she needs.

"Mom?" Henry asks sleepily. With Roland no longer holding her down, Regina rolls on her side and pulls Henry against her chest. "You're okay?" he asks, fighting back tears of relief as he clings to her. He hasn't shared his mother's bed since he was afraid monsters lived under his own, but he couldn't bring himself to leave her side.

"I will be," Regina tucks her face into his shoulder, breathing in the smell of her not so little boy.

"There was so much blood," Henry mumbles against her. "I'm sorry. I should never have let her…"

"Stop it right now," Regina scolds. "You did absolutely nothing wrong. Do you hear me, Henry? Nothing." He nods against her, but Regina can tell he's not convinced. "If you hadn't have gotten help I probably wouldn't be here," she tells him as she runs her hands up and down his spine.

"You sent me to Granny's." Henry tries, but he can't keep the annoyance at her action from seeping into his voice. He was angry with her for sending him away, angry that she wouldn't let him help.

"I sent you to Granny's because I thought that old wolf would have enough sense to keep you there," Regina tells him, pulling back just enough to see his tear streaked face.

"I'm glad she didn't stop me," Henry winks at her and just like that Regina knows she is forgiven.

"Me too," she admits, because she probably wouldn't be here if Henry hadn't somehow got Emma to her in time and she knows this. "Now go to bed," she pushes playfully at his shoulder, "its late."

"I'll see you in the morning?" Henry asks as he slowly peals himself off of the bed.

"You will." She glances over to the bedside clock. 4:38 am. "Probably the late morning." They both chuckle at that and he finally feels comfortable enough to leave her room for his own.

Robin lingered in Roland's room after he laid his son in his own bed. He'd completely given up on him staying in there after Regina's third wakeless night and had just let the boy wrap himself around her from the start rather than waiting for him to creep down the hall and clamor into his parent's bed. Maybe he'd stay in here tonight; Robin hoped that even though Roland hadn't woke up when Regina did that the boy would still sense that she was back with them, that she was going to be okay.

There's footsteps in the hall, his signal that Henry is returning to his own room. Robin musses his son's curls one last time before stepping out of the room. He meets Henry in the hall and for a moment the two just stare silently at each other, each noticing the exhaustion and relief in the other's features. They've both finally been allowed to relax and the weight of the last 5 days is finally setting in. Robin moves first, extending an arm and gripping Henry's shoulder, pulling the younger man against his chest. Henry returns the hug fiercely, fisting the fabric of Robin's t-shirt before pulling away and returning Robin's subtle nod. The contact was brief, but it spoke everything that needed to be said between the two.

When Robin returns to his own room the bed is empty. White hot panic washes over him until he sees the light coming from beneath the bathroom door. He scolds himself for his reaction, but still doesn't relax until she emerges from the en suite. "You look like you've seen a ghost," Regina chides as she switches off the light and crosses over to her side of the bed.

"You'll have to forgive me for not wanting to let you out of my site for a while, Mi'lady," he confesses as he crawls in the bed beside her. They both lean against the headboard, faces turned toward each other, eyes meeting in the darkened room.

"I think I'm okay with that," Regina raises her hand to stroke the stubble at his cheek. "Did Henry go to bed?" she asks, always the mother.

"Practically asleep before he made it to the door," Robin threads his fingers through her hair, relishing in the sigh it elicits from deep in her chest. "He's been worried sick," he leans in and presses a kiss to her forehead, letting his lips linger. "So has Roland," he kisses against the tip of her nose. Moving to her cheek he adds "and Emma," to the other "and Snow." He pulls back then to brush her hair back and stare into eyes he feared would never open. He's trembling with need for her, knows she must feel, but doesn't feel a lick of shame.

"And you?" Regina asks, smiling into the scant space between them.

"And me," he whispers seconds before his lips crash into hers. He pours every ounce of fear, hope, worry, and relief into the kiss. She's here, she's alive, she's whole. "I love you," he pants against her when their lips part for breath.

"Thank you," she smiles against his mouth. He stares at her, questioning, but Regina only shakes her head at his unvoiced questions. She means it. She's thankful for him, for his love. "I love you too," she tells him as she pulls him back into another kiss. This one slower, less urgent, but no less passionate; a simple sharing of the love they each give.

It's not long before Robin's hands begin to wander, his weight shifting them so that she's eased down into the pillows, his body hovering over her own as soft touches grow bolder. His lips find the spot behind her ear that makes her melt and she rakes her fingers through his hair, holding him _Mmmm's_ against his ear, but it's another voice that has Robin ceasing his ministrations.

"Gina?" Roland's small voice asks from door way. Robin laughs into her neck before straightening her shirt and rolling off of her.

"This is the last night, my boy," Robin warns, but Roland has already launched himself at the end of the bed and is pulling and crawling his way into Regina's waiting arms.

"I knew you would wake up," Roland says against her neck as he settles himself in her lap. Regina soothes her hands up and down his back, buries her fingers in his messy curls and holds him tight.

"Thank you for keeping me safe while I was sleeping, Sir Roland," Regina whispers into her little knight's ear, watching Robin's smile dimple his cheeks and light up his eyes.

"You're welcome," their son says simply, wiggling in tighter against her waist as Regina turns to her side. Robin kisses the top of his son's head, before he settles in behind Regina, pulling her back flush against his front. Both Locksley men are sound asleep before long, each holding her tightly. Regina remains awake, staring into the darkness of her room, wrapped up in the safety of the people she loves. She still isn't sure exactly what had transpired or how or why she is here, but she'll savor this moment. She'll take every bit of the life she's been granted to live and vows to herself not to waste a single moment.

* * *

 _Thank you so much for the reviews. You all are amazing and so very kind. This one was a little heavy so I'm working on some much needed levity for the next installment (aka drunk snow). Hope to see you there! xoxox Sara_


	13. Coffee

_After the Girls Night Out..._

It hadn't taken much convincing for Regina to go out for the night. A couple well placed hints, a 2 for 1 drink coupon left casually on top of the days mail, only five minutes of massaging tight knots out of her shoulders from leaning too long over spell books and cauldrons and she was upstairs looking for something 'un-mayorly' to wear to the bar. It's not that he doesn't love spending time with her (cherishes every minute truth be told,) but she's been overworking herself lately trying to undo everything the queen did during their separation. She hasn't stopped, has barely slept. This makes her…tense; which makes him tense; which makes the kids tense; which starts the cycle all over again. Needless to say, everyone needed a night to unwind. So while Regina is out with the girls, Roland and Henry at separate sleep-overs, and Ella sleeping soundly upstairs, Robin lays back in the warn leather recliner with a glass of the good scotch and relishes in the one thing that he can never find: silence.

He'd read for a while, determined to get through all 7 Harry Potter books before Roland became inevitable infatuated with them, but fell asleep with The Half Blood Prince in his lap and an empty glass on the arm of the chair a little past eleven. He probably would have stayed there all night if he hadn't been jolted awake by a loud crash in the foyer, followed by a shouted _Fuck!_ , and a bout of laughter he hadn't heard in too long. "Regina?" he called, letting the book fall from his lap and making his way quickly to the front room. Robin covered his mouth in an attempt to hide his laughter, but his body shook with it. Whatever had been on her head thunked to the tile and rolled to the side. She was on all fours in the foyer, coat rack knocked to the ground taking the contents of the side table with it. "Are you alright, Mi'lady?" Robin finally managed to ask, bending in front of her and pulling her to her feat. She swayed in his arms, but managed to stay upright. Robin was impressed.

"I was aiming for the front porch," she told him in a loud whisper. "I didn't want to wake you."

"Ahh. I would say your aim was a bit off. I'm not sure you're supposed to use non-conventional transportation while you're drunk, dear." He held her while she kicked off her heals, re-adjusting his old when she shrunk a good 4 inches.

"I am not drunk. And I wasn't about to use 'conventional' transportation," she jabbed her finger into his chest. "And I'm magical so technically this is 'conventional' for me so driving would have been non-conventional which I did (jab) not (jab) do (jab.)

"I would've picked you up," he tells her as he helps her out of her jacket, dropping the garment to the pile on the floor. The mess will be there in the morning.

"You were relaxing and enjoying your well-planned evening alone." Her head falls against his chest and she wraps her arms around her waist to hold herself steady. She's drunk. But she'll never admit it. Robin's eyes go wide as he tightens his grip on her. He'd thought he had been so subtle. "Put your eyebrows down, Robin" she slurs into his sweatshirt. "I knew what you were up to. If you wanted some time to yourself you could have just asked."

"I didn't want to upset you," he bends slightly to kiss the top of her head. "And I had the best of intentions. A night of drunken debauchery every now and then does a person good. Especially one who works as hard as you."

"I'm not drunk," she mumbles into his chest.

"Of course not. You meant to crash into the coat rack and you won't fall over if I let you go," he laughs against her and watches as the tops of her ears turn red. Busted.

"Whatever. Can you at least stop rocking?" she squeezes around his middle in an effort to hold him still.

"I'm not moving, Regina."

"Oh." She sighs in resignation and moves her arms from his middle to around his neck, toying with the hair at the back. "I'm going to hate you in the morning," she says matter-of-factly.

"And why is that?" Robin scoops her up, waits until her world stops spinning and she adjust to the new position wrapping her arms tightly around his neck before heading up the staircase.

"Because this was all your doing," her lips brush against his pulse point as she speaks and he can't help the shiver that runs through him.

"I see. Well, I guess I'll be apologizing to you in the morning then," Robin concedes with a smile as he toes open the door to their bedroom.

"With coffee," Regina instructs.

"With coffee."

"Robin," she says as he sets her on the edge of the bed, then kneels before her to remove her shoes, lets his hands coast back up her legs before pulling her stockings back down.

"Yes, love?" he asks when it's clear she isn't going to continue on her own.

"I'm drunk." She's staring down at him with shining, unfocused eyes and a grin that goes just a bit lopsided.

"I can see that."

"I love you."

"I can see that too," Robin kisses each of her knees before rocking back on his heels.

"Can you?" she asks, suddenly sounding entirely unsure.

"Of course I can, Regina." Robin wraps her arms around his neck so that she stands when he does. He holds her waist for a moment before seeking out the dress's zipper and helping her out of it.

"I want you to be happy," she whispers into his ear before she lets herself be pulled away.

"I am happy," he kisses her cheek as he pulls the bed covers down and lowers her back to the mattress. "Very happy," he adds, kissing the other cheek as she slowly lies down.

"I want you to tell me if I'm driving you crazy, or if you need to be alone. I never thought I'd have this and I still don't really know how to do _this,"_ she waves her hand between them and sighs heavily before bring both arms up to cover her face.

Robin walks around the bed, scoots in beside her and pulls her arms away. She's crying. Shit. This was the absolute last thing he had hoped a night out for her would accomplish. "Hey," he says, holding her wrists against her stomach when she tries to recover her face. "I never meant for you to question my love for you. Never. I just wanted you to have break, and yes, I wanted a break myself as well. But not from you, Regina. From everything. Killian just took off, David's been dealing with his own problems when he's awake, John is busier than ever with his new job, and the kids are always up to something. I just wanted a few hours of normal; I wanted it for the both of us. Okay?"

"Okay," she sniffs loudly and uses his shirt sleeve to wipe her face, before pulling it off of him and tossing off the bed. If nothing else had cued him in to the fact that she wasn't completely herself right now, that had done it; Regina Mills doesn't leave anything on the bedroom floor.

"Come here," he slides an arm under her back and rolls her until she's laying half across his chest. "Did you have a good time?"

"I did, actually," she says sleepily against him. Robin mutters something that sounds like he's glad, but he's running one hand through her hair, the other up and down her arm and she can't be expected to concentrate on anything but the sleep that is pulling her under.

"Regina?" he asks a bit more clearly and she forced her eyes to peek open as she moves her head to his shoulder to see most of his face. "Were you wearing a Viking hat when you poofed here?"

"Yes," she admits with a fondness that confuses him more.

"Where on earth did you get that?"

"I stole it from Snow," she winks before returning her head to its preferred spot above his heart.

"That's a story I'd like to hear in the morning."

"Over coffee," she mumbles, not quite getting it all out before she's finally asleep.

"Over very strong coffee," Robin smiles to himself as he continues to trace wandering patterns into her skin.

* * *

 **I've just realized that every chapter of this ends up with Robin and Regina in bed or falling asleep together. Apparently my subconscious was starved for OQ pillow talk.**

 **As always, thank you for the reviews!**

 **Oh, and the last 2 weeks have sucked. I mean really really sucked. So I could use some inspiration. Prompt me?**


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